What Goes Around
by Belle Walker
Summary: Down with the flu, Kensi reluctantly allows Deeks to take care of her.
1. Chapter 1

Even through her medicine-induced haze, Kensi's ears alerted her to an unexpected sound in her apartment.

Soft, uniform, and coming closer. The unmistakable sound of footsteps sneaking through.

Her hand fumbled at the drawer by her bed, seeking the automatic pistol she kept stowed there.

But at the moment her fingers curled around it, a familiar body appeared in her bedroom doorway and she sighed in relief, releasing the gun and relaxing her pose.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she demanded, sitting up in bed and putting as much annoyance in her voice as her scratchy throat would allow.

Marty Deeks gave her a sheepish little smile. "Sorry. I didn't want to wake you if you were sleeping."

"How did you get in?" Kensi immediately wanted to know. "Did I leave the door unlocked?"

He grinned unashamedly this time, holding up his lock-picking tool. "Nope, that would be a handy little thing I like to call my 'spare key'."

"What are you doing here?" She sniffled into a tissue.

"Heard you were sick," he answered simply. "But lucky for you, Doctor Deeks has a cure."

She just looked at him. "Doctor Deeks? Really?"

"What? Would you rather I play Nurse Deeks? Maybe give you a little sponge bath?"

She scoffed at the implication, her cheeks coloring briefly through her paleness.

Deeks sat facing her on the edge of the bed, bringing the back of his hand to her cheek and forehead to gauge her temperature. "Slightly warm. Not too bad."

"Warm?" Kensi echoed, ignoring his hand. "I'm _freezing_."

"Don't worry…we'll get you back on your feet in no time," Deeks answered. "Honestly, Kens…I don't know how much longer I can stand being partnered with Sam. And today was just the first day."

Unhappy that he was seeing her looking like this, Kensi informed him tightly, "Deeks…I have the _flu_. It's not going to go away with a snap of your fingers."

Her partner regarded her steadily a moment. "We'll see about that," he promised ominously.

Something in his tone alarmed her, and she looked at him warily. "Go away."

"What?"

"Go home. I don't _want_ you here."

He was hurt. "You don't want — why not?"

She grasped at feeble excuses. "Because I'm sick, and…_gross_, and…I don't want anyone to see me like this!" Her reddened eyes pleaded with him.

He looked back at her with a soft little smile. He understood. But he also wanted her to get well. "I'm your _partner_, Kens. If _I_ can't see you like this, who can?"

She stared at him, and he gazed steadily back, unwavering. "Alright," she finally relented. "But if you get sick too, it's not my fault."

Deeks smiled wider. "I'm willing to take that risk." He had nothing to worry about — he had a great immune system.

He gave her blanket-covered leg a brief friendly pat and rose from the bed.

Going to the kitchen, he put a small pan on the stove, emptied a can of chicken broth into it, and added a liberal amount of fresh minced garlic before turning on the heat.

When it was hot (but not scalding) he filled a large ceramic mug with the steaming broth and brought it to Kensi.

The warm mug felt good in her hands, but her rolling stomach gave her no desire to drink from it. "What's floating in it?" she asked, partly curious but mostly just stalling.

"Garlic. It's good for you."

"Mnh," she wrinkled her nose.

"Drink it," Deeks said gently, taking up his spot on the edge of the bed again.

"It's too hot," Kensi lied.

"No, it's not."

"It's too garlic-y."

Deeks inhaled patiently. "It's just right. And with your nose stuffed up like that, you won't taste the garlic anyway."

She still hesitated.

"Do I need to call Hetty?" her partner asked in a playfully threatening tone.

Kensi glared at him darkly. "If I wasn't sick, I'd punch you."

Deeks grinned easily. "Then drink the broth. It's full of vitamins. You'll be back to Kick-ass Kensi before you know it."

She sighed. There was no getting around it, and he wasn't going to leave her alone until she drank the broth. She brought the mug to her lips for a tiny taste.

"All of it," Deeks encouraged.

She took a real swallow. It warmed her throat, and she really didn't taste the garlic. Her nose was too plugged up for her to taste much of anything.

"Not too bad," she admitted, finally draining the mug. "As long as it doesn't come back up."

"Ew," Deeks grimaced, leaning away slightly. "Has that been happening today?"

Kensi gave him a grossed-out look. "I'm not discussing my puking habits with you, thank you very much."

"Have you _had_ anything to eat today?" he tried a different tack.

But she shook her head. "Not hungry enough to try, and didn't want to risk it, either."

"You wanna try some soup tomorrow?" Deeks offered. "Chicken noodle? Homemade straight from a can?"

She smiled a little at his joke. "Maybe. We'll see." She reached for a fresh tissue from the box by her alarm clock.

Deeks looked around at the collection of wadded up tissues strewn across the bed and scattered on the floor. "You know there's this thing callad a trash can? Really helpful for corralling your herd of stray Kleenex."

Kensi's current tissue paused at her nose as she narrowed her eyes at him. She took one final swipe and wickedly threw the small wad at him.

He jumped away. "Ah — really? That's…that's nasty. Thanks a lot..."

"Sorry, I was aiming for the trash can," Kensi quipped with a smirk, not the least bit truthful in either her apology or her intended target.

"Alright…I'm gonna take off. You get some rest," Deeks said, dropping a new box of tissues into his partner's lap and backing away before she could throw more used ones at him. "And I will be back tomorrow night for round two of playing doctor."

"Yippee," Kensi deadpanned.

"You know you miss me when I'm gone," her partner flirted shamelessly back at her.

"I'll save you some used tissues," she promised lightly.

He grinned, playing along. "You do that. I'm gonna come back here with a flame-thrower to clean up this mess."

He took her mug back to the kitchen, filled it with the rest of the warm broth, and set it on the nightstand by Kensi's bed. "Drink up," he said cheerfully. "I'll see you tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Around four o'clock the next afternoon, Kensi managed to drag herself out of bed and risked taking a brief shower, careful not to slip and fall. The last thing she needed was her partner finding her passed out naked and half-drowned!

The hot shower didn't do a thing to make her feel better, but at least she wouldn't be embarrassed again about her crummy appearance when Deeks came back later to torment her some more.

She let her hair air-dry a bit before raking it into a lumpy ponytail to get it out of the way. She struggled into a sports bra for decency's sake, and finished with a t-shirt and comfortable pajama pants.

Then she pulled the top blanket off her bed and dragged it into the livingroom, where she dropped to the couch and turned on the television.

But there was nothing on that she really cared to sit through, so she turned the TV back off and laid down on the couch with her blanket covering her.

She woke to a hand touching her forehead. Deeks must've let himself in again with his trusty lock pick.

Kensi opened drowsy eyes to look up at him. "My partner, the cat burglar."

He grinned back. "That's _Doctor_ Cat Burglar, to you."

"That's a mouthful," she responded sleepily. "How about I just call you Deeks?"

He smiled in agreement. "Works for me." He crouched near her head to get a better look at her face. "How ya feeling?"

"Kinda thirsty," she answered simply.

"Hungry?"

"Not really."

"You probably should try to eat something anyway," Deeks advised, standing upright again. "But first I'll bring you some water."

He found a clean glass in her messy kitchen and filled it with cold water.

"Thank you," Kensi accepted it, sitting up and scooting over to give him room to sit on the couch. She hadn't realized just how thirsty she was until that first refreshing swallow hit her parched throat.

"More?" she requested, holding the empty glass toward the man sitting next to her.

But Deeks only looked at the glass. "More what?" he asked impishly.

"More _please_…kind, caring Doctor Cat Burglar?" Kensi pleaded, a playful smile quirking at her lips.

Deeks smiled back. "Well, since you put it that way…" He took the glass and returned to the kitchen for more water.

Leaving Kensi to sip her water, Deeks went back to the kitchen yet again. This time, he opened a can of chicken noodle soup and heated it over the stove.

He hoped to get her to eat at least _some_ of it. He knew a sick body would get only weaker if it wasn't nourished every day.

He needed his partner and he wanted his friend, and if he had to bully her into eating something to get her strength back, then so be it.

Filling a bowl with most of the noodles and a little bit of the watery juice, he added a spoon and set it down on the coffee table in front of Kensi.

"I want you to try to eat that," he voiced seriously. "If you _can't_, it's okay. But you should at least _try_."

It was so sweet, the way he was looking after her. "I'll try," Kensi assured.

And she did. Just to please him, she forced herself to eat the entire serving of chicken noodle soup.

She took her time doing so, and the last bite was almost cold when she swallowed it, but she was proud of herself for getting it all down.

Kensi leaned back into the couch to let the food settle. She sighed, rubbing at her neck.

"What's wrong?" Deeks questioned.

Her hand dropped into her lap. "Oh, just the usual. Aches, pains…stiff neck from holding up the elephant that's sitting on my head."

"Do you need to lay down?" he asked, preparing to stand up and give her the couch.

"No, if I lay down, I won't be able to breathe," she answered logically. "I can just prop myself up with a pillow or something."

"Or something," Deeks echoed in agreement. But instead of getting her a pillow, he shifted position slightly and drew her gently backward toward him.

"Deeks — what are you — "

"Just lean against me."

His voice was soft in her ear, soothing. And she was too weak to protest. She relaxed with her back against half of his chest, accepting the strong, solid wall of muscle he was offering to support her with.

Deeks tugged the blanket up around her shoulders, making sure she was covered. One of his hands rested lightly at her upper arm — partly to keep the blanket in place, but mostly because it just felt comfortable to leave it idle there.

Kensi had to admit it was a pretty good angle to lay at — enough of an incline to take the pressure off her muscles and yet still sitting up enough that she could breathe okay.

She let her head fall back against his collarbone, her thick ponytail cushioning it.

She wished her nose wasn't so stuffed up, preventing her from inhaling his unique, natural scent. She also wished she wasn't too sick to really enjoy this rather nice sensation of being held in her partner's protective embrace.

Then again, if she _wasn't_ sick, he probably wouldn't have been there in the first place taking care of her. She chuckled, thinking to herself that there was at least _something_ good about getting the flu.

Deeks had felt her laugh more than he'd heard it. "What's funny?"

"Nothing," she murmured. "Not important."

Her hair was still slightly damp, and a few loose tendrils at her crown tickled the stubble on Deeks' jawline.

"I'm glad you showered," he couldn't help but tease her, trying to get a glimpse of the spirited woman that he knew was still hidden in there somewhere. "You were starting to get a little ripe."

Her elbow gave his stomach a weak jab through the blanket she was cocooned in.

"What was that?" he laughed, goading her on. "That was like a _girl_ hit, and I know Kensi Blye doesn't hit like a _girl_."

"She does when she's sick," Kensi grumbled miserably.

"See? Yet another reason for you to get better soon," he replied easily.

She yawned, settling further against him and closing her eyes. "Deeks?" her muffled voice reached his ears.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For being here."

He smiled to himself at how young and child-like her voice sounded. "You're welcome," he answered, giving one of her blanket-covered shoulders a gentle rub.

Warm and content, Kensi drifted off to sleep with Deeks not far behind in joining the slumber.

And then dinner decided to make a reappearance.

With a surprising burst of strength, she ripped the blanket away, jumped off the couch and flew to the bathroom just in time.

She heaved until there was nothing left to come up, then flushed it away and rinsed her mouth with a handful of water from the sink.

Kensi sat on the floor, trying to collect her bearings. But the vomiting had left her shaky and she didn't trust her legs to pick her back up yet.

She should've known not to eat all those noodles. What a waste.

Feeling like she was in a bubble with gravity both pushing and pulling at the same time, she simply laid down flat on her back on the bathroom floor with one arm flung behind her head.

Somehow her sinus congestion shifted a little, probably from the hurling. At least now she could breathe again while laying down.

But she should get up. Having an up-close view of the bathroom floor made her realize she'd kind of neglected it.

Dirty bathroom floor germs — she really needed those on top of her already flu-riddled body. She closed her eyes and pretended the germs didn't exist.

"Kensi?" Deeks tapped a knuckle twice on the bathroom door.

"Mnnnh," she whimpered to herself, wanting to get up off the germy floor but still not really having the strength to.

"Kens?" The door opened tentatively at first, then was jerked wider.

"Kensi!" Deeks dropped to his knees at her side, checking her pulse and her feverish face.

"I'm alright," she answered in a dull voice, forcing her eyelids open. "Just let me lay here and die."

"Don't scare me like that," he admonished, his blue eyes genuinely concerned. "I thought you'd passed out or something."

"Sorry..."

He sighed, wiping a hand across his jaw. "You know what? I think I might need to take you to the hospital."

"No — I don't need a hospital," she resisted, gingerly sitting up. "Just need my partner."

Her words warmed him, and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He grabbed a clean wash cloth, soaked it with cool water from the bathroom sink, then wrung it out and folded it in half. "Lay back down."

She gladly did as told. "That feels good," she murmured as the cool wet cloth was laid across her forehead.

"Being sick really wipes you out, huh?" he commented sympathetically, settling beside her on the floor once again.

"It always does," Kensi confirmed. "Fortunately, I don't get sick very often."

"Can I ask you something?" Deeks requested casually.

She inhaled deeply, staring at the ceiling. Despite having just thrown up a few minutes ago, she was actually starting to feel a little bit better. "Sure."

He made a show of wiping his palms against his jeans. "When was the last time you cleaned this floor?"

She chuckled, raising a hand to slap whatever she could reach. "Shut up."

"Oh — there it is!" Deeks grinned, rubbing his chest where she'd struck him. "The real Kensi _is_ still in there somewhere."

He got to his feet again, opening the linen cupboard and poking around inside.

"What are you doing?" Kensi questioned, peering up at him upside down.

He found what he was looking for. "I'm going to put clean sheets on your bed…and then you are going to get in it."

Kensi carefully sat up once more, keeping the damp cloth pressed to her forehead. "Trying to get me into bed, Deeks?"

Her partner turned in the doorway, pinning her with a look of surprised amusement. Usually it was he who threw out the flirtatious comments, but once in a while Kensi tossed one of her own his way.

"Yeah," he answered easily. "And if you weren't Little Miss Runny-Nose, I might be tempted to join you."

She glared at him, wiping her nose with the damp wash cloth.

It was a strangely intimate thing, watching Deeks strip the sheets off her bed and replace them with a clean set. He even changed her pillowcase.

Somehow she couldn't picture Callen or Sam or anyone else taking that kind of care for their partner or friend.

Deeks smoothed the top sheet and pulled the blankets up over it. Then he peeled back a corner so Kensi could get in.

But she was still sitting on the bathroom floor, watching him.

"Are you bonding with the dust bunnies?" he quipped, standing in the doorway.

"Actually, I was looking for a dirty Kleenex to throw at you."

He grinned down at her, adopting a casual stance. "I think you're feeling better."

Kensi raised both hands in the air. "Help me up."

He grasped her hands and pulled her to her feet. But the movement made her stomach lurch again and she stumbled in his grip.

"Or maybe _not_ feeling better?" Deeks ventured with a furrowed eyebrow.

Kensi kept a tight, steadying hand on his wrist and took in a tentative breath.

"Good?" Deeks questioned.

She let the breath out slowly. "I think I'm good," she confirmed, letting go of his arm.

She shuffled into the bedroom with Deeks watchfully on her heels.

He was disappointed that she hadn't kept the food down very long, and he felt bad for making her eat it in the first place. No more noodles, he decided.

"Get comfortable, but don't go to sleep yet," Deeks told her, sliding the blankets over Kensi's legs.

"Why not?"

"Because…purely as a bonus for being such a good patient," he continued with a cute but menacing grin. "You get to enjoy some more of Doctor Deeks' _wonderful_ garlic broth."

"Ugh…really?" Kensi wrinkled her nose. "And what if I just throw it right back up?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "You kept it down yesterday. So far, it was only the noodley soup you ate tonight that your stomach rejected. So I'd say the broth is pretty safe."

"I don't want it."

"You need the vitamins," Deeks insisted in a no-nonsense tone.

She huffed out a breath. "Fine. Get me a barf bucket too, just in case."

Deeks set the small trash can from the bathroom in easy reach next to the bed, and left her in peace for a while as he prepared a new batch of garlic-infused chicken broth.

He came back after a few minutes with the mug of steaming liquid in his hand. "It tends to go down easier if you sit up to drink it."

Kensi sighed, forcing herself into a sitting position.

Deeks perched beside her with one arm behind her back to keep her sitting up. He handed her the mug in silent expectation.

"It's salty," Kensi grimaced after the first sip.

"Yeah, broth usually is," Deeks agreed.

She took another swallow. "I think I'm starting to taste the garlic."

"That's good. Means your sinuses are probably clearing up."

As if to punctuate her partner's statement, Kensi felt a tickle in her nose and grabbed a tissue to stop the sudden flow of liquid.

"Do _not_ throw that at me," Deeks warned her sternly.

"Oh, relax. I wasn't going to." She dropped the tissue into the trash can.

"Just making sure. Finish your broth."

"Bossy," Kensi mumbled, returning the mug to her lips.

"You know you love it," he countered easily. He took the empty mug and got up from the bed, allowing Kensi to lay back down. "I'll bring you some water."

But Kensi pushed the blankets off herself and moved to get up. "I need the bathroom." At his look of concern, she added, "Not to puke. Just…full bladder."

"Say no more." Deeks got out of her way, taking the opportunity to shoo a few of her used tissues into the trash can with a cautious tip of his finger.

He left the mug in the kitchen and brought a fresh glass of water to Kensi's nightstand. Then he waited until she crawled back into the bed before he left her for the rest of the evening.

"I'll see you tomorrow night," he said gently, guiding the blanket up to cover most of her body. "Call me if you need anything."

"Okay," she nodded. "Goodnight, Deeks." Kensi offered him a soft little smile, her gaze lingering on his eyes.

He returned the smile, looking back at her a little longer than necessary. "Goodnight, Kensi." He flipped the light switch and vanished through the dark doorway.

Moments later, she heard the front door open and click shut, indicating that he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Sometime in the middle of the night, her sinuses decided to clear. And they did so with a vengeance.

Kensi found herself awake most of the night, using tissue after tissue after tissue. By the time her nose finally stopped draining, she'd gone through a whole box of Kleenex plus half a roll of toilet paper.

But the pressure in her head was gone, she could breathe well again, and her nausea was a fading memory.

In fact, the only thing still keeping her in bed so late in the afternoon was her complete lack of sleep during the night.

She got up once to use the bathroom and get a drink of water, but as soon as her head hit the pillow again, she was out like a light.

The second time she woke, it was already getting dark outside again and she realized she hadn't seen or heard from Deeks yet.

She stumbled out of bed and headed for the living room, rubbing a hand over her tired eyes.

"Sleeping Beauty finally emerges from her coma."

She smiled at the sound of his voice. "How long have you been here?" she asked, sitting to face him with her feet pulled up onto the couch cushion.

"A couple of hours," he answered casually. "You were sleeping like the dead when I checked on you — I had to make sure you were still breathing."

"I was awake all night cramming Kleenex up my nose," she told him. "I don't think I even got to sleep until about eight o'clock this morning."

"Well, you sound a lot better…" His gaze swept over her. "…and dare I say you _look_ a lot better, too," he added with a cheeky grin. "How do you feel?"

She inhaled deeply. "I feel _almost_ human again. I think your garlic crap actually worked."

"Hey, my garlic crap is a proven tonic," he retorted easily.

Kensi smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." Her gaze fell to a basket of folded clothes on the floor by the coffee table. "You did my laundry?"

"It was a dirty job, but someone had to do it," he quipped.

Kensi chuckled, and stifled a yawn. "Sorry…I guess I'm still tired."

As he had done frequently the last few days, Deeks brought his hand up to her forehead and then down to her cheek. "I think your fever's gone," he said softly.

She could've just imagined it, but she thought she felt his thumb caress her skin for the briefest moment before his hand dropped away. "Yeah," she voiced in agreement. "No more chills, either."

"Nausea?"

"Gone."

"Good." He paused a beat. "Do you want some more garlic broth?"

But she could see that he was only teasing. "If I never taste garlic or broth ever again, it'll _still_ be too soon," she retorted.

Deeks grinned, unoffended. He was glad that she was finally getting well. "Stay home and rest at least one more day," he directed.

Kensi nodded. "Sure."

"I mean it," he said seriously, meeting her eyes. "If I see you at work tomorrow, I'm dragging you home in handcuffs and posting a guard outside your door."

"Aww, I thought you _missed_ your partner," Kensi needled him.

"I _do_ miss my partner," Deeks agreed. "And I don't want her to relapse by going back to work when she's not one-hundred percent yet."

"I've worked through exhaustion before," she reminded him lightly.

"Yeah, but you don't _have_ to," he argued, a stubborn lilt creeping into his voice. "Nobody expects you to prove how tough you are by wearing yourself out."

Kensi rolled her eyes. "Okay, calm down. You don't have to protect me from anything."

He shrugged a shoulder unapologetically. "You're my partner — it's my job to have your back."

"Speaking of partners…" Kensi broached a new topic. "You've still never told me why you swore once not to work with a female partner ever again. Or what changed your mind."

He merely laughed softly and looked away with a funny little smirk, evading having to answer.

She waited. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

He drew in a deep breath. "Nope."

Kensi regarded at him steadily. "You know partners shouldn't keep secrets from each other, right?"

Deeks countered with, "Well then, by all means — spill your secrets, partner. Feel free to start with the kinky ones."

Her lips pursed. "I don't like this game anymore."

Deeks grinned at her. "Chicken."

But Kensi's retort died on her lips as her stomach growled embarrassingly loud.

"Wow — that sounded like a bear just coming out of hibernation," Deeks couldn't resist.

He earned a stout punch in the shoulder.

"Really? You're back to hitting me?"

Kensi offered a contrite little smile, raising a hand to rub softly at the same spot she'd just struck. "Sorry. Habit."

"It's okay — I know that was just a love-punch."

"And you're about to get another one," she warned playfully.

But Deeks negotiated, "How about I make you some dinner instead?"

"No chicken noodle," Kensi vetoed immediately.

"Pancakes?" he offered instead, knowing she had a preference for them.

She nodded. "I think I could handle a pancake or two."

"Alright." Deeks stood with a grin, giving her basket of clean laundry a deliberate tap with his shoe. "Washed your underwear…now I'm making you pancakes."

"Who knew you were so domestic?" Kensi quipped, her gaze following as he vanished into the kitchen.

Deeks returned a little while later with two plates of hot, buttered pancakes. He handed Kensi one, and started on the other one himself.

They smelled so good, and Kensi really hoped they wouldn't have the same fate as the chicken noodle soup that she'd forced herself to eat the night before.

She took a tentative bite at first, even though she knew that any negative effect would not present itself immediately.

"Are they okay?" Deeks prompted, taking her hesitation to be a question of his cooking skills.

"They're perfect." She took another tasty bite. "I was just thinking I hope they don't come back to haunt me later."

"Well, if they do," Deeks began with a wry smile. "I happened to mop your bathroom floor, so it should be nice and clean for when you fake passing out on it again."

Kensi was both amused by his humor, and embarrassed to learn that he'd done even more of her housework than she'd originally thought.

Somehow she felt like she was taking too much advantage of his charitableness, even though she'd neither asked it nor expected it of him.

In fact, she had to remind herself that Deeks had volunteered — even _insisted_ — on being actively involved in her recovery from the flu.

He'd been willing to brave her nasty flu germs and risk infection himself, just to help her get better sooner. No one else had ever done that kind of thing for her.

Kensi lowered her plate to her lap and looked at Deeks for a long moment.

"What?" he asked.

"Thank you," she answered sincerely. "For everything."

Four little words, but they spoke volumes. And her partner was quite skilled at reading between lines.

A cute smile appeared on his handsome face. "You're welcome."

Kensi mirrored his smile before glancing back down at her plate to finish off her pancakes.

They finished their dinner in comfortable silence and nested the forks and empty plates together on the coffee table.

"Is it safe to say the pancakes were a success?" Deeks asked after a while.

"So far, so good," Kensi responded placidly. "But would you mind bringing me a glass of water? I am so thirsty again."

"Not at all," Deeks answered. He snagged the dirty plates as he got up and carried them to the kitchen sink.

He came back with a glass of ice water for her and a bottle of cold beer for himself.

"I have beer?" Kensi asked in surprise.

"Actually, _I_ have beer," Deeks clarified, reclaiming his seat on her couch. "It's just cooling in your fridge."

"Oh."

He glanced at her. "You can have one, if you want."

But she shook her head. "Got my water. I'm good." The beer probably wouldn't have been a good choice for her stomach right now, anyway.

She was overjoyed to have kept her dinner down thus far…but in an odd twist of irony, a small part of her was just a teeny bit disappointed that her flu was going away so soon thanks to Deeks' unorthodox doctoring method.

After three nights, she'd gotten used to his presence in her home and had experienced first-hand how nurturing and serious he could be when he felt that someone needed him.

And now that she was recovering from her bout with the flu and her nightly caregiver's visits were going to come to an end…Kensi found that she really didn't want to let go of it just yet.

That was silly, she thought. She didn't need a babysitter. And as soon as she was back to normal, they'd be working side-by-side again every day. And probably going out for a beer together every couple of nights, too.

She was looking forward to getting back into her daily groove of being an NCIS agent. Being out sick was the pits.

A sudden chill hit her, and Kensi reached for a nearby blanket. "I guess the chills _aren't_ completely gone yet."

Deeks automatically offered a helping hand, tucking the material loosely around her.

"A girl could get used to this, you know," she commented offhand. "Having someone around to wait on her hand and foot, and do her every bidding."

"Wait — doesn't that go against Kensi Blye's mantra?" Deeks interjected. " 'Cuddle me, but don't _coddle_ me'?"

"I don't mind a _little_ coddling," Kensi rebutted. "As long as it's not _patronizing_."

"Well, I promise never to patronize you," Deeks replied in a serious tone.

"Thank you."

He added mischievously, "As long as you promise to cuddle me every now and then."

She gave him a look, unable to keep from smiling. "Just had to throw that in there, huh?"

He grinned smugly, tipping his beer bottle up to his lips.

Kensi rolled her eyes, taking a sip from her water glass. The man was incorrigible.

Deeks set his empty beer bottle on the coffee table and checked his wristwatch. "Getting pretty late," he voiced. "I should probably go. Gotta work tomorrow."

Kensi nodded, covering a small yawn. "I think I'll turn in, too."

Out of habit, Deeks trailed her to the bedroom to say goodnight. He waited in the doorway as she crawled into her bed and then flipped the light switch.

"Goodnight," he said to the darkness.

"Goodnight," her voice answered.

He decided to leave the rest of the beer he'd stashed in her fridge, and he was almost at her front door when a strange feeling washed over him.

Huh. Vertigo. Odd sensation.

The room began to tilt, and he grabbed for the couch to steady himself.

He blinked a few times, but it did nothing to dispel the haze in his eyes or the sudden throbbing in his head.

Oh, crap.

He sank into the couch cushion. Nice couch. Good couch. Oh — stop spinning, couch!

This wasn't fair! He wasn't supposed to get sick too — he had a _great_ immune system!

No — it was just fatigue, he told himself firmly. A really long day that was finally catching up with him.

Determinedly, he stood…and instantly regretted it.

Grumbling in resignation, he laid back on the couch, stretching out and kicking off his shoes so they wouldn't mar the fabric.

He figured he'd earned the right to spend the night on Kensi's furniture, having devoted three nights in a row to the interest of her health.

Deeks sighed. Damn Kensi's flu germs.


	4. Epilogue

Kensi woke early the next morning feeling better than ever. She stretched her muscles and inhaled deeply, enjoying the sheer ability to do so.

She felt a rush of appreciation and affection toward her partner. For all the aggravation he loved to give her on a daily basis, he'd more than made up for with his caring attention to her well-being while she'd been sick.

She'd have to come up with something really great to show her appreciation. Just saying 'thank you' wasn't nearly enough.

With almost a spring in her step, she walked to the living room, stopping short at the sight of her partner sprawled out on her couch.

Apparently, he never went home last night.

His eyes were closed so she thought he was asleep. But then he sniffed and groaned, raising a forearm to cover his closed eyes.

Kensi stepped over to him, giving his sock-covered foot a light shake with her hand. "You don't sound so good."

His arm lifted from his face and he looked at her, red-eyed and tired. "You made me sick," he accused blandly.

She should have felt bad for him, having nursed her back to health only to catch the flu himself. But she couldn't help the ironic laugh that now bubbled forth.

"I don't know what you're laughing at, Fern," Deeks remarked, flinging his arm back over his eyes. "It's _your_ turn to play nurse now."

The laughter stopped as she realized he was right. He'd taken care of her — it was only fair to return the favor.

Deeks' arm hid his grin. "And I'm definitely going to want a sponge bath."


End file.
